pennstateray1

we are doing the western caribbean for the 1st time. what to do in the grand cayman has us stumped. the cruise line offers a lot of diving tours which is not high on my wife's list. we would like a 3-5 hour tour at our pace ie spending time where we like. any recommendations for drivers/guides

dianejoan

First choice for a tour in Grand Cayman is do a snorkel trip and see the sting rays. If you've never done this, you are in for quite the experience. Well worth it. If you want to arrange your own, I'd suggest you contact Capt Clinton Ebanks, Capt Crosby Ebanks or Capt Dexter. All do great trips and have been doing them for years. For a land based tour, I'm not sure who you'd use. Get a taxi dockside and ask them to drive you around the island - possible stops would be the turtle farm or the Botanic Gardens.

pennstateray1

thanks for the info, dianejoan. i see so many of the grand cayman tours involve the sting rays. maybe be should consider awater activity. thanks again.

KVR

I agree. A tour to see the Sting Ray is the thing to do. They are awesome. If interested in doing an Island tour with all the touristy spots try Tropicana Tours.

http://www.tropicana-tours.com/tours.html

We did the full day tour and really enjoyed it.

pennstateray1

kvr, thanks for the info. did your full day tour include the turtle farm? i would like to do the string ray thing but my wife is a weak swimmer and did not enjoy the divng we have done on other trips. thanks in advance. ray

KVR

We did the Tour A, which included:

See the Capital - Georgetown
Caribbean Arts & Crafts
Conch Shell House
Tortuga Rum Shoppe
Points of Interest Along 7 Mile Beach
A Visit to "Hell"
Pedro St. James
Picturesque Blow Holes
East End Ship Wrecks
Native-Style Luncheon on the South Coast

There was only us and one other couple on our tour, so we got to deviate some from the schedule. We also went to Sting Ray Brewery and Black Beards Rum Shoppe. The lunch was at the snack bar at Pedro St. James, which was not great. We also went to the Turtle Farm and went shopping in Georgetown.

Here's a link to our pictures if interested.

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

We did the Sting Ray City trip with Soto Cruises. The sting ray sandbar is only waist high, so no need to be a strong swimmer. They did a DVD of our trip for $60. I still watch it when I need a good vacation/Caribbean fix. We found the snorkeling to be very good in Grand Cayman compared to other Islands we've been to.

pennstateray1

kvr, thanks once again. the waist deep water info is very helpful. ray

sunnydelite

lots of boutiques and little shops. Dont forget tortuga rum shoppe! and FREE samples of the luscious rum cake!!MMM! have a good time. I have been there and love it! We went in 2003!

juliaelzie

You can do private or semi-private shore excursions during cruises. They can often be tailored to your specific preferences and often offer better prices than the cruise lines' shore excursions. The shore excursions are among the things that make money for the cruise lines - they have their place and are good for some people, but not always right for everyone.

Best Regards,
Julia

pennstateray1

julia, do you have any names or webb sites for private tours in the grand cayman. i have been unable to locate any by surfing the web. kvr gave me tropicana-tours who have not replied to my email. thanks in advance for any help. ray

pennstateray1

thanks everyone for your input. my wife finally agreed to a ray trip providing she will not be forced to get in the water. she is going to wear a swim suit under shorts and a top just in case she exercises a women's right to change her mind. thanks again. ray